SUZANNE BELPERRON

Suzanne Belperron, born in the Jura region of France to a family of bakers, is now celebrated as one of the rare feminine forces of 20th Century jewellery design. In 1919, after her studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Besancon, Suzanne Belperron began her professional career as a designer for the Maison Rene Boivin. There she would develop her artistic voice and help build the unique style and success that the jewellery house enjoyed during that period. She would stay until 1932 when her desire to make a name for herself would lead her to step out from under the Boivin umbrella. Belperron, with the help of the Herz family, would go on to design for some of the most glamorous of society’s women including; Elsa Schiaparelli whom she met during her time with Maison Boivin, Mrs Max Ernst, and the Duchess of Windsor. Her experiments with textures old and new, reviving tastes for natural pearls, and championing the use of grey gold and palladium, has given her jewellery a timeless elegance that seems as fresh and exciting today as it was at the time. She did not retire until 1974 when she reduced her activities to consultancy for her preferred clients.